Well pipe cleaner



Oct. 11, 1955 J. w. JONES WELL PIPE CLEANER Filed April 28, 1953 [fl/efor dam n er M James AZTV United States Patent WELLJFIPECLEANERKIasper'WfJones, Lake Charles, La.

Application April 28, 1953, Serial No. 351,525 2 Claims. (Cl. 166170)This invention relates generally to improvements in oil well apparatusand is directed particularly to an improved paraffin scraper or cleaner.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide an improvedparaflin cleaner or scraper designed to be lowered into and worked upand down in oil well tubing for the purpose of cutting or scraping awayfrom the surface of the tubing deposits of paraffin or other waxes andasphaltic material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a well casing cleanerembodying an elongate body having a number of longitudinal ribsspiraling around the axial center of the body each carrying a pluralityof longitudinally spaced radially extending spring fingers which projectbeyond the longitudinal center of the tool a suflicient distance toengage the surface of the well casing whereby in the up and downmovement of the scraper or cleaner through the casing such fingers willcut through deposited paraflin or the Wax to the surface of the casing.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a tool of theabove stated character a number of long spirally arranged ribs orflanges in each of which a number of longitudinally spaced slots areformed for receiving a portion of a flat spiral spring end of an elasticor resilient scraping finger which is secured to a face of an adjacentrib, said fingers, by reason of their attachment to the spirallydirected ribs, providing a substantially cylindrical or circular brushwhich effectively cuts up and removes waxy deposits from the well casingthrough which the tool is moved.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description of the same proceeds and the invention will be bestunderstood from a consideration of the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing with the understandingthat the invention is not to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction shown and described since obvious modifications will occurto a person skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side eelvation of a parafiin cleaner constructedin accordance with the present invention, a portion of the same beingbroken away and parts being in section.

Figure 2 is a view of the same looking at the bottom end of the tool.

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line of 3-3of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detailed view in elevation of one spring scraper finger.

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the tool bar ready for thecutting of the slots and the attachment of the spring fingers.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will be seen uponreference to Figure 1 that the scraper of the present inventioncomprises an elongate shaft or body which is generally designated 10,which is designed to pass through a well pipe for the performance of acleaning operation. This. body may be produced from. any suitable. stockand is milled longitudinally through the major portion. of, its lengthfrom one. end'to providea plurality of flanges or ribs 12 which curve orspiral around thelongitu'dinal axis of-the body each throughapproximately one quarterturn'or onefourth" o'ftliec'ircumference of thebody-so thatthe ribs, whicharefour in number, have the form intransverse section of a square or Greek cross as illustrated in Figure3.

A short length of the shaft at the upper ends of the flanges 12 is leftun-cut or un-milled forming a head 14 and the upper end of the head iscontinued in the stem portion 16 of reduced diameter, which is threadedas shown to facilitate the attachment thereto of a suitable weight bar,not shown, which in turn is attached to a wire line for lowering andraising the tool in the Well tubing.

Each of the flanges is provided with .a longitudinally spaced series ofslots 18 which are formed through the flange with one side in the planeof the flange perpendicular to the slotted one.

Each of the flanges has threaded thereinto a longitudinally spacedseries of spring finger holding screws 20, each of which screws isadjacent to a slot 18 in the adjoining flange.

Each of the screws 20 secures in position on its supporting flange, anelongate spring scraping finger which is generally designated 22 andwhich comprises a flat spiral 23 at one end while the straight portion24 forms a cutting blade Which extends tangentially from the outer sideof the flat spring 23 and at a slight upward inclination, as shown, whenthe finger is free of contact with the well casing.

The screw 20 for each spring finger passes through the center of theflat spiral spring, as will be readily seen, so that the fiat spring isheld flat against the side of the flange 12 into which the screw issecured and the adjacent slot provides a clearance means for thecoil'spring whereby when the blade is flexed downwardly the spring canexpand outwardly, as indicated in dotted outlines in Figure 1.

The radial extension of the blades 24 of the scraping spring fingers issuch that when the tool is lowered into the well casing or tubing theends of the blades will scrape against the surface of the tubing andsince the spring fingers are arranged spirally around the length of thetool, as shown in Figure 2, they form a substantially circular orcylindrical brush which effectively covers the entire circular area orcircular interior surface of the well tubing as the tool is raised andlowered.

A particular advantage of the present invention resides in the fact thatbecause of its unique design it cleans the Well tubing surface bothwhile going into the well and while being pulled out. The many smallscraper blades effect the removal of the paraifin in a flaky conditioninstead of balling up the wax, which would have a tendency to plug thetubing and because of the fact that the wax is cut up in a flaky mannerit is easily redissolved in the well fluid and any which may remainundissolved can readily flow out with the fluid.

A safety feature of the present scraper" is that should the scraperbecome balled up when cleaning Gas Lift wells, because 'of the loss offluid to wash it clean, the scraper can be removed by applying a steady,hard pull which will unwind or uncoil the spring 23 of the cuttersagainst the body of the tool flanges and allow it to peel out of theball. Another feature of a safety nature is that should there be anobstruction in the tubing, the tool can be easily forced by suchobstruction with heavy spudding action and thereafter return each bladeto its normal cutting position.

I claim:

I. A well tube cleaning tool comprising an elongate spring fingerssecured to a side of each rib in spaced relation longitudinally thereofand extending outwardly subs'tantially radially' of the bar, saidfingers each comprising a relatively long blade having one end in theform of a fiat spring spiral, said spring Spiral lying fiat against therib, and a securing screw passing through the center of the spiral andthreaded into the rib.

2. Theinvention according to claim 1, wherein each of said ribs has aplurality of slots therein for receiving a portion of an adjacent springspiral; I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FieldSept. 28, 1880 Lavere Jan. 2, 1923 Black et al Mar. 21, 1939 Smith Dec.10, 1940 Every Feb. 13, 1945

